Freightliner/MeritorWABCO Roll Advisory and Control System

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the laws, implementing regulations, and industry consensus standards that form the basis for the design, manufacturing, and use of commercial vehicles (CVs) and their operation in highway and off-road settings.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The paper begins with an introduction to CVs as transporters of people and goods and as enablers for the provision of services. It briefly describes governmental interest in CV safety and the use of CVs as tools in systems - including the importance of safety research and technology assessment programs. The safety focus is described in terms of the Haddon Matrix, a safety model that shows the time and activity relationships between the operator, vehicle, and environment.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Next, the paper provides a history of important safety legislation related to vehicle design, manufacture, and operation. Although the primary focus is on highway CVs (generally referred to as commercial motor vehicles, or CMVs) in the United States, the paper also briefly addresses laws relating to the safety of off-road agricultural vehicles, and construction and mining vehicles. The paper also touches on laws and regulations applicable to these vehicles and their operation in place in Canada, the European Union, Australia, and other nations.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Many government agencies and non-governmental organizations have CV safety responsibilities - including issuing regulations (consensus standards in the case of the non-governmental organizations) and assuring compliance through various oversight mechanisms. The paper describes their various roles and responsibilities focusing particularly on North America and Europe. This is followed by a discussion of how regulations are developed and implemented.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">A series of case studies is used to illustrate the application legal, regulatory, and standards development processes to specific CV safety challenges. The case studies discuss highway CV weights and dimensions, brakes, rear impact protection devices, retroreflective marking, speed limiting devices and onboard data recorders, and rollover protection devices for off-highway vehicles.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The paper closes with a discussion of the continuing need to ensure CV safety through cooperative research and technology assessment activities, as well as the need for designers and engineers to maintain an awareness of the changing environments that influence CVs' use.</div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The Columbus laboratory module, developed by Astrium Bremen as prime contractor and Alenia Spazio as co-prime, is the European contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) program and as such it will support, once in orbit, micro-gravity and space based research activities of the member states.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Columbus Environmental Control System (ECS) employs an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) providing atmosphere pressure, cabin ventilation and temperature humidity control inside the module in conjunction with an autonomous Active Thermal Control System (ATCS) that provides the heat collection capability. The ATCS, based on software controlled water loop, provides also the cooling capability for Payloads and Subsystem equipment. The ECS is completed with the Passive Thermal Control System based on software controlled shell heating system plus passive fixtures such as Multi-Layers Insulation (MLI) blankets.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Generally, both, the Columbus ATCS as well as the ECLSS are qualified via simplified but representative tests and concluding analyses. Complete verification of the module thermal and environmental control design however, will be performed via analysis supported by ECS System Level Integrated Test as well as the predictions for flight.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">With respect to responsibility sharing, Alenia is responsible for all verification by test related to thermal/environmental aspects, i.e. Alenia will define the test requirements and cases to be performed via the establishment of a dedicated test specification. On the other side, definition and production of the test set-up as well as the performance of the test is assigned to the Columbus prime Astrium SI Bremen.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">In order to get confidence on the functional performance of the Columbus ECS and to validate the Integrated Overall Thermal Mathematical Model (IOTMM) on system level the module will be subjected to an Integrated System Test (IST).</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Purpose of the ECS IST is to provide the first verification of the thermal/environmental interrelation between the active cooling (ATCS) and environmental control system (ECLSS) hardware and software and to collect as much characteristic thermal data as possible for the validation of the flight configuration IOTMM. This test will represent the second and last test in series on the flight configuration of the Columbus module.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Previous tests, for verification of the functional interfaces of the ATCS and ECLSS, have been performed already in the frame of the Electrical Test Model (ETM) utilization. However, this test did not provide information on environmental and thermal parameters of the system but rather on the functional interrelations of the relevant units of the subsystems. Presently, the subject test will be performed in the integration hall of Astrium SI Bremen (Class 100.000 clean room conditions) and the pressurized shell is planned to be covered by the flight multi-layer insulation only located beneath the meteoroid debris panels (MDPS) of the module. However, in order to get as much as possible characteristic data of the system not only the test cases have to be selected very carefully but also additional test supporting equipment (TSE) has to be evaluated.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The present paper summarizes the efforts generated to establish the Environmental/Thermal test in the frame of the system level IST of the Columbus module, describes the interrelation aspects of the thermal/environmental subsystem verification by test and analysis and presents the derived methodologies and expected results.</div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper describes the development process for acceleration sensors used on automobiles and acceleration evaluation system especially for the acceleration in super low range frequency.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Acceleration sensor is indispensable not only for good vehicle motion control system, for example, active suspension control system, antiskid control system and four wheel steering control system, but also for safety system like air bag control system. This work focused on the development process of acceleration sensor which applied piezo ceramics.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Features of newly developed sensor are as follows.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <ol class="list nostyle"> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">1)</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Achievement of self-diagnostic function to detect sensor failure utilizing the characteristics of piezo ceramics</div> </li> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">2)</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Addition of piezo ceramic to cancel the pyro-effect achieved stabilization of sensor characteristics and enabled to detect acceleration of 0.0025G in super low range frequency of 0.05Hz.</div> </li> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">3)</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Incorporates impedance conversion, filtering and temperature characteristics compensation circuitry.</div> </li> </ol> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Frequency range of acceleration for good vehicle motion control is considered to be from DC to about 50Hz.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">But the measurement of acceleration in thus super low range frequency near DC had been difficult because of its mechanical and electrical noise interruption.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This had delayed the development of acceleration sensor for automotive use.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">We succeeded in the development of acceleration measurement system for super low range frequency from 0.01Hz to 2Hz with detecting acceleration range from 0.0002 (0.2 gal) G to 1G as well as the development of piezo type acceleration sensor for automotive use.</div>

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The impact of Reynolds number on the aerodynamics and operational performance of commercial vehicles is discussed. All supporting data has been obtained from published experimental and computational studies for complete vehicles and vehicle components.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">A review of Reynolds number effects on boundary layer state, unsteady and steady flow, time dependent wake structure, interacting shear layer and separated flows is presented. Reynolds number modeling and simulation criteria that impact aerodynamic characteristics and performance of a commercial vehicle are shown. The concepts of dimensional analysis and flow similarity are employed to show that aerodynamics of commercial ground vehicles is only dependent on Reynolds number. The terminology of Roshko is adopted for discussing the variation in drag with Reynolds number in which the subcritical, transitional and transcritical flow regimes are defined for commercial vehicles. Criteria for aerodynamic simulation as well as testing and design of commercial vehicles are defined and show a minimum transcritical Reynolds number value of 3 million is recommended for simulating the aerodynamics of full-scale commercial vehicles.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Guidance is provided for aerodynamic design and analysis in the framework of Reynolds number and boundary layer flows as they relate to previous designs, current testing and analysis criteria, and the development of future vehicles. A discussion of aerodynamic tools is presented which call for the continued development of aerodynamic test and analysis tools capable of capturing Reynolds number sensitivities. Of particular importance is the maturation of computational simulation tools with improved friction modeling capability specifically developed for commercial ground vehicles.</div></div>

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Automatic transmission (AT) is a complex hydroelectromechanical system, since it consists of hydraulic, electrical and mechanical parts.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">On cars produced by “UzAuto Motors” mainly AT of the 6T family, 6-speed AT family GM: 6T30, 6T40, 6T45, 6T50 “Hydra-Matic” are used.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Production of parts of these transmissions is carried out both at American GM plants and at GM plants in China and Korea.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The differences between AT 6T30/6T40/6T45/6T50 are in the thickness of the output chain and in the planetary gear, in the sizes of some other units and the housing itself. But the differences are much more influenced by the settings of the transmission unit, which select operating modes with different engines so as not to overload the thinnest places of the automatic transmission.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Automatic transmissions 6T30, 6T40, 6T45, 6T50 have the ability to manually shift gears and activate the “kickdown” mode (for quick acceleration of the car, when you sharply press the gas “all the way” it makes the automatic transmission downshift, and sometimes by two steps).</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The operation of the transmission is controlled by various electronic systems that are responsible for the operability and structural integrity of the gearbox.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Failure of the automatic transmission can occur as a result of one or a combination of malfunctions of the following parts: in the torque converter; in the mechanical part of the gearbox; in the hydraulic part of the control system; one or more clutches of the gearbox; in the electrical part of the control system; in the electronic control unit.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The authors of the work investigated and determined the occurrence of malfunctions and failures depending on the temperature of the working fluid of the automatic transmission of a passenger car.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Also, the dependence of the resource of the automatic transmission on the temperature of the hydraulic fluid was obtained. High-quality diagnostics of the automatic transmission and its control system can in many cases save the car owner from expensive repairs: <ul class="list disc"><li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">without thorough diagnostics, the automatic transmission cannot be subjected to routine or major repairs. Only on the basis of diagnostic information can a conclusion be made about the technical maintenance or repair of the automatic transmission;</div></li><li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">based on real experience of operating passenger cars equipped with automatic transmission, we recommend changing the oil every 35000 miles under operating conditions in Tashkent. We also recommend conducting diagnostics of the automatic transmission every 12500 miles of the car's mileage.</div></li></ul></div></div>

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Virtual simulation is a fundamental tool for the development of new vehicles, both for individual components and for complete subsystems and full vehicles. Many software tools exist in the automotive sector to assess full-vehicle behavior and performance, including multibody software and algorithms based on 14 (or more) degrees-of-freedom vehicle dynamics models. In order to reproduce the testing maneuvers and typical vehicle mission, a key part of such simulation tools is the virtual driver algorithm. It is essential to implement a control logic that reproduces the handling response of the driver, so that the closed-loop maneuvers can be evaluated. However, the response of typical virtual drivers is not always similar to the human driving characteristics. Virtual driver algorithms can perform very fast, precise, and smooth steering and pedal actions, while humans display a more variable, delayed and often not optimal actions.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The aim of this article is to describe the concept and implementation of a novel human-like path planning model. The algorithm is developed in MATLAB environment, creating a function that obtains a human-like path and vision logic by setting some key-parameters. They are: Distance Factor, Widening Factor, Cutting Factor, Inner Smoothing Factor and Outer Smoothing Factor.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The parameters - essential to alter the shape of the trajectory described in a track - have their values attributed by fitting experimental data gathered during test sessions in a driving simulator. The vehicle model used to implement the path planning system is based on the VI-Grade CarRealTime environment, in co-simulation with MATLAB/Simulink, and the results indicate that the novel algorithm has a closer correlation with the DiL tests than the original virtual driver. The stronger correlation is confirmed also in the comparison between different human drivers, showing that the proposed strategy is robust to driving styles.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Among the potential applications of this new “human-like virtual driver” approach is the ability to better predict human driver response during tuning and optimization of vehicles and control systems, apart from a further understanding of human driving behavior useful for tasks like ADAS and autonomous driving.</div></div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The use of graphical dynamic system simulation software is becoming more popular as automotive engineers strive to reduce the time to develop new control systems. The use of model-based control methods designed to meet future emission and diagnostic regulations has also increased the need for validated engine models. A previously validated, nonlinear, mean-torque predictive engine model<span class="xref">*</span> is converted to MATLAB / SIMULINK<span class="xref"><sup>†</sup></span> to illustrate the benefits of a graphical simulation environment. The model simulates a port-fuel-injected, spark-ignition engine and includes air, fuel and EGR dynamics in the intake manifold as well as the process delays inherent in a four-stroke cycle engine. The engine model can he used in five ways:</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <ul class="list disc"> <li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">As a nonreal-time engine model for testing engine control algorithms</div> </li> <li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">As a real-time engine model for hardware-in-the-loop testing</div> </li> <li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">As an embedded model within a control algorithm or observer</div> </li> <li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">As a system model for evaluating engine sensor and actuator models</div> </li> <li class="list-item"><div class="htmlview paragraph">As a subsystem in a powertrain or vehicle dynamics model</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Although developed and validated for a specific engine, the model is generic enough to be used for a wide range of spark-ignition engines. Modular programming techniques reduce model complexity by dividing the engine and control system into hierarchical subsystems.</div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">To overcome future stringent regulations on pollutant emissions and to decrease CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and fuel consumption, hybrid vehicles seem to be one of the near future most promising technologies. This type of car uses complex energy management and control strategy. Simulation can be very useful for the development of such a control system.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This paper highlights a new library developed under the AMESim software that enables the simulation of complex interactive systems in vehicles. In addition, the possibility to combine with other AMESim modules, allows the users to add more complexity to any of the sub-components of the vehicle.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">As an illustration of this new tool capability, we propose in this paper a simulation example of the Prius, the most known hybrid vehicle which was the first commercial vehicle in 1997 and selected as the 2004 Car of the Year in Europe. Comparisons between measurements and simulations of the response of different components are presented on different driving cycles.</div>

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">In this paper, a comparison of three different hybrid powertrains is analysed. The numerical model is used to simulate powertrain behaviour in rail application, on a pre-set drive cycle, composed of many acceleration and decelerations, in order to test the components features.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The numerical model is dynamic and it is implemented in Matlab-Simulink environmental.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (FC) is used; it is the most used in transport applications, thanks to its lower temperature compared to the other fuel cell types, which allows fast start up operation and rapid demand changes. A standard supercapacitor (SC), given by higher power density, is utilized as the energy storage system (ESS), Regarding the battery (B), two types are considered, because the battery is used both as prime mover and main component of the ESS; Li-ion batteries are chosen, owing to their good trade-off between specific power and energy.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Therefore, three configurations, FC-SC, FC-B and B-SC, are analysed.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The vehicle model takes into account other components. The regenerative brake system is used to recover energy during the deceleration phases, and the auxiliary system is modelled in order to consider the consumption due to lighting, air conditioning, etc. The DC/DC converter is used to connect energy sources and load; it is unidirectional for the FC and bidirectional for the other sources. This is because the ESS provides power for the drive cycle and it stores energy provided by the FC (when the power demand is low) and recovered by the regenerative brake (in deceleration operation).</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">In addition, a control system is implemented, able to manage the entire system and set the power output of each source at each instant of time. It works in order to achieve good performance for each energy source, in terms of high efficiency and long lifetime. This means low power variations for the FC and a pre-set interval for the ESS state of charge.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">At the end, the results achieved by the simulations (such as efficiency, state of charge, and hydrogen consumption) are discussed and analysed for the different configurations.</div></div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">Problems with commercial motor vehicle components such as service brakes, steering controls, lighting devices, reflectors, tires, coupling devices, and other equipment can lead to accidents. Following a collision, accident reconstructionists may be called upon to determine whether these conditions were present before the crash and whether they were a causative factor.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The paper gives an overview of current requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR)<sup>(<span class="xref">1</span>)</sup> and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) that are related to daily vehicle inspections and commercial vehicle maintenance.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Examples are presented to show how post-accident examinations detected vehicle deficiencies that were overlooked in the driver's vehicle inspection and/or fleet maintenance procedures. A discussion is included as to how such findings may be integrated into a reconstruction and cause analysis.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Suggestions are offered to promote safer motor carrier practices relevant to vehicle inspections and maintenance issues.</div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">In February of 1987, Dresser introduced a pair of new mechanical drive, off-highway trucks designed to operate in the 35 to 60 ton, rear-dump, classes. These trucks, designated 140M and 210M, replaced three previous models while covering the same payload range. One distinctive feature of these new vehicles was their hydraulic system and in particular the brake control portion of this system.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This new hydraulic brake control system can be described as a closed-center arrangement using a pressure-compensated, variable displacement pump as an energy source with accumulator-based energy reserves for independent and redundant circuits. In the basic version, a pair of pressure regulating valves are used to control system pressure at the brakes. These valves can be actuated in</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <figure id="F1" class="figure"> <div class="graphic-wrapper"><img class="article-figure figure" src="911834_fig0001.jpg" alt="No Caption Available"/></div> </figure> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">tandem by a treadle (foot pedal) or separately by hydraulic pilot pressure. A single, filtered hydraulic fluid is used throughout the system and is stored in a single reservoir vented to atmosphere.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The basic system is capable of accommodating multiple-axle (i.e. more than two) arrangements but was originally applied to a two-axle vehicle using dry, disc-type (caliper and rotor) brakes on all wheels. In February of 1990, the Model 140M and 210M trucks were revised to offer rear axle oil-cooled brakes as an option. The brake control system was subsequently modified to provide for this change primarily by the use of an additional pressure regulating valve and redundant circuitry.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Both the original and latest versions of this system are characterized by their use of a unique emergency brake control system. Through the use of logic-type control valves, a loss of hydraulic pressure in one circuit is used to force the remaining high pressure circuits into actuating the brakes. This paper will describe the arrangement and operation of this hydraulic brake control system and its function as an integral part of the overall vehicle hydraulic system.</div>

<div class="section abstract"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Nondestructive tests are those tests which detect factors related to the serviceability or quality of a part or material without limiting its usefulness. Material defects such as surface cracks, laps, pits, internal inclusions, bursts, shrink, seam, hot tears, and composition analysis can be detected. Sometimes their dimensions and exact location can be determined. Such tests can usually be made rapidly. Processing results such as hardness, case depth, wall thickness, ductility, decarburization, cracks, apparent tensile strength, grain size, and lack of weld penetration or fusion may be detectable and measurable. Service results such as corrosion and fatigue cracking may be detected and measured by nondestructive test methods. In many cases, imperfections can be automatically detected so that parts or materials can be classified.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The SAE Handbook describes the following nondestructive test methods:</div> <ol class="list nostyle"> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J359—Infrared</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J420—Magnetic Particle</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J425—Eddy Current</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J426—Liquid Penetrant</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J427—Penetrating Radiation</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J428—Ultrasonic</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J1242—Acoustic Emission</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <div class="htmlview paragraph">SAE J1267—Leakage Testing</div></li></ol> <div class="htmlview paragraph"><span class="xref">Table 1</span> summarizes the principal features of most of these tests. In addition to the tests described, other nondestructive tests exist which are less well established, but whose use is expanding. Among these are microwave tests, holography, and sonic tests. Microwaves are used to locate defects in nonmetallic substances and to determine some physical characteristics of those materials. Optical holography uses coherent light from a laser beam to detect strains and defects in materials by means of three-dimensional imaging and interferometry techniques. Acoustical holography uses ultrasonic waves to image discontinuities in the interior of solids. Recent refinements in sonic testing permit more objective determination of the physical properties of cast iron. Complete information concerning each nondestructive test can be obtained from books listed in the bibliographies of the aforementioned reports.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Increasing consumer demand for product quality at reasonable cost has resulted in development of nondestructive tests which can be applied to materials and manufactured parts. Although a variety of complementary nondestructive methods is available, development time is generally required for application to specific materials or products. The effect of part contour, surface condition, heat treatment, composition variation, and other variables may limit the ability of certain tests to detect imperfections with desired accuracy.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Nondestructive tests properly applied to basic material can add greater assurance of performance to design strengths, thereby affecting material and manufacturing economy. In addition, parts can be tested after each basic operation which is critical to service performance of the finished part. In-process nondestructive tests can also serve as basic components of feedback process control systems since all tests are based upon measurements which do not damage the material or part being inspected.</div></div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph"> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Five systems, fuel injection, ignition modulation, intake port flow control, exhaust after-treatment, and electric propulsion systems, are discussed here in terms of engine design modifications and new systems retrofitted to the motorcycle to reduce the exhaust emission.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">A fuel injection system has been implemented to a 125cc air-cool four-stroke engine, and the results show that the improvement on the fuel economy, reduction of emission on HC and CO, and the fuel economy are 20%, 68%, and 10% respectively. By implementing the electrical ignition system into the target engine, the fuel economy and emission have slightly improved. The application of the inlet air flow control to a target engine also obtains 75% on CO reduction. The effectiveness of the exhaust after-treatment on a 80cc 2-stroke engine has demonstrated that the emission can be reduced up to 75%. The last emission reduction development is the electric propulsion system development which provide a zero emission and better energy efficiency solutions for the future motorcycle usage in the urban areas.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> </div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The authors will overview the development methodologies of the mentioned systems and the effectiveness of emission and fuel economy improvement from these engineering efforts in this article.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> </div>

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Developing a knowledge-based predictive driver-aid system requires a strategy that meets the needs and goals, as well as rigorous methods. This paper presents the strategy adopted and the first results obtained in the development of the Navigation Aided Intelligent Cruise Control (N.A.I.C.C.) system. Once the vehicle is located on the route, this new copilot can: <ol class="list nostyle"> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">1.</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">define the travel direction and the vehicle speed,</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">2.</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">determine the distance to the next bend and its characteristics,</div></li> <li class="list-item"> <span class="li-label">3.</span> <div class="htmlview paragraph">predict the optimal speed to negotiate the next bend considering the road profile, the constraints given by the driver and the information provided by the sensors mounted on the vehicle.</div></li></ol></div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Then, used in the warning mode (“Driver Alarm Mode”), N.A.I.C.C. informs the driver of the danger of the situation (excessive speed) or, in the intervention mode (“Velocity Control Mode”), N.A.I.C.C. adapts the speed to the predicted reference. In this latter operating mode, N.A.I.C.C. can be considered as an advanced intelligent cruise control system. Real experiments were carried out with the laboratory test car to validate each module described.</div></div>

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The high-speed three-dimensional measurement segment is associated with the introduction of both in-line and off-line production measurement technology. This segment forms the core strategy in a large number of industries, notably the automotive and aviation sectors.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The demand for high-speed three-dimensional measurement systems is particularly strong in the automotive sector, for a range of applications from sheet metal working to mechanical machining. There is a need for such systems in bodywork assembly and stamping applications to perform controls on both full vehicle body - Body-in-White - and on “subunits” - body sides, doors, etc. The control systems used to inspect Body-in-White are usually called “measurement tunnels”. They are found at the production prototype stage as much as they are on the production line where they provide quality improvement led by continuous in-line inspection.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">ActiCM has designed and is developing a non-contact measurement tunnel as part of its partnership with Renault’s Vehicle Prototype Center/Technocentre. This tunnel uses AdventCR, optical technology that drastically reduces the duration to perform the 3D inspection of vehicle prototypes. The powerful image-processing and 3D calculation algorithms used by AdventCR offer faster three-dimensional controls than any current Coordinate Measurement Machines.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph"> <figure id="F1" class="figure"><div class="graphic-wrapper"><img class="article-figure figure" src="2007-01-1382_fig0001.jpg" alt="No Caption Available"/></div></figure>Renault intends to use this technology to shorten the tryout phase for new vehicle designs that require exhaustive controls on a number of prototypes, and to benefit from the power of the post-measurement diagnostic tool. AdventCR gives significantly faster Body-in-White control measurements: a complete measurement process usually takes the prototype off-the-line for ten hours or more; with the AdventCR “non-contact tunnel measurement” system, the Body-in-White data acquisition is dramatically cut to less than one hour. The other substantial benefit of AdventCR is its ability to offer the image data and tools for performing post-acquisition measurement possibilities; unlike other three-dimensional measuring techniques, AdventCR enables the user to measure a geometric element that is not identified in the original control survey under the condition that the element is visible within the images of the images database.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">This document provides a detailed introduction to the AdventCR solution and its role in assembled body control applications, and then explains the qualification process established with Renault and the results.</div>